| Cindy Harris Testimonial |
The following is a testimonial we received and wanted to share as inspiration for each and every one of our members or anyone thinking they can't workout! Do you have a story you'd like to share? If so, please email chris@thewomansworkoutcompany.com.
After dancing, gymnastics and cheerleading throughout my childhood and then going through my twenties raising a family at the same time the aerobics craze hit, I began feeling discomfort in my knees, hip and lower back. Staying active my whole life, working out five times a week, this discomfort became more painful and started becoming a burden on my lifestyle. But being the type of person I am, I couldn't let it stop me. Exercise is too important to my well being, it gives me the energy to keep me going through busy days of being a mother, housewife, animal caretaker, business owner, hairstylist and now Pilates instructor.
In my mid-thirties I started with arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Then physical therapy for my back. After a year of therapy on my knees, I got some relief but still had hip clicking and back pain while exercising. I tried Pilates and started to listen and become aware of my body, discovering the imbalances and weaker muscles that I had throwing off my body's alignment, causing my ailments to become worse! I worked on these problems faithfully and did the best I could to stay in shape, but unfortunately developed osteoarthritis in my lower back, knees and hip. Doing this course of treatment of drugs and cortisone shots was my venture for the next 10 years. Af 46 years of age I was told I needed a new hip. Of course, I thought I was much too young and the doctor agreed and told me I would know when I was ready. So throughout the next year I became more and more limited in my exercise regime. Standing and walking was becoming more painful daily and I was very frustrated.
At 47 I decided it was time to go ahead with the procedure. I had to wait six months for my surgery date. I had no choice, so I decided this wouldn't stop me from going to the gym and I had the doctor's blessing to keep exercising. I continued to get my workouts in to help keep my mind stress free and to keep my body as healthy as I could in order to have a speedy recovery. The surgery day finally came and now, 9 months later, I can do exercises pain free that I couldn't do for years. It was the best decision I made, not only having the surgery, but more importantly, continuing to workout while waiting. My doctor was proud of me, I was up and walking the next day and couldn't wait to get rid of the walker, crutches and rehab. During my three days in rehab I was constantly cruising up and down the hallways and asking for more therapy time (it was like going to the gym for me). Six days after surgery, I went home - some people spend up to a month in rehab. I was released from home physical therapy my first day because I already knew all the exercises, went to out-patient therapy for a month and at my six week post-op asked if I could go back to the gym - and the doctor said YES! Thanks to my determination to never give up and to have The Woman's Workout Company to go to, it has been a huge success!
Thank you,
Cindy Harris
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| Enjoy a guilt-free summer |
Summertime and the living is easy!
Sure it is, until Labor Day when you step on the scale! School’s out, the kids are home and the schedule goes out the window along with your fitness routine!
In the last few weeks, I’ve talked to many women who have expressed concern about not being able to the gym this summer, either due to kids being home from school or from the desire to wanting to get that prime real estate on your favorite beach. Remember, WWC does have child care, so that you can enjoy this important time for yourself, but for those days that it just doesn’t happen, here are a few suggestions of how you can stay trim this summer.
Play hard. If you’re at the beach, go ahead and jump in the water! You don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer to enjoy the benefits of swimming. If you’re a mom or a grandparent of a toddler, tossing him/her around in the water is sure to get your heart pumping and give your legs and shoulders a great workout.
Take a bike ride. If you’ve been pedaling away all winter in the spin room, you know what a great workout cycling can be. Taking it out on the road can be a whole new experience and one that can involve the whole family. We are so fortunate to have a beautiful bike path here on the Cape. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors, take in the scenery of cranberry bogs and lakes while getting a workout. If you don’t own a bike, there are lots of places that you can rent for the day. Barb’s Bike Shop is located in Dennis at the beginning of the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
Intensity Matters. If you’re not able to get to the gym as often, make sure that when you do get there, make it count. Challenge yourself by doing intervals of high intensity exercise mixed with moderate intensity so that you can get the most bang for your buck and burn more calories in less time. The American College of Sports and Medicine just released updated recommendations for exercise guidelines:
”Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Exercise recommendations can be met through 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (five days per week) or 20-60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (3 days per week)”.
The takeaway here is, if you only get to the gym once or twice a week, make sure that you incorporate vigorous-intensity exercise. You can still get great benefits as long as the intensity level is there. Go hard then go home.
Moderation. There’s nothing better than a summer cookout, complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, and kielbasa (my favorite) and of course, roasting marshmallows over the fire. You can’t burn off a bad diet, especially if you’re not getting to the gym as often in the summer months. The key is portion control. Indulging on your favorite foods doesn’t have to be a guilt-ridden experience, as long as you’re careful about how much you eat. Be proactive. If you’re going to a cookout, be the one to bring a healthy dish or colorful fruit platter. When choosing what goes on your plate, add small portions of your favorites as well as healthy choices. If you’re headed to the beach, pack a cooler filled with healthy snacks: fruits, veggies, crackers and hummus. Seasonal fruits like watermelon will help to keep you hydrated while soaking up the sun. Having healthy choices on hand for you and the kids will make the ice cream truck much more of a treat, as it should be.
Drink plenty of water. Water is still the best way to stay hydrated and regulate body temperature. Pay attention to clues that you may be dehydrated. Extreme thirst, lack of sweating and a deep orange color in your urine can all be signs that your body is dehydrated. When you’re well hydrated, your urine will be light yellow or clear. You should try to drink half of your bodyweight in ounces. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water per day. In the excessive heat, you may need to drink even more due to water loss in sweat. Along with staying hydrated, water consumption can help facilitate muscle growth, remove toxins and acid from the kidney, improve brain function, aid in food digestion and increase oxygen to the blood. Try to stay away from sugary drinks. You don’t need the extra calories if you are lounging on a beach. Sports drinks are only necessary if you are performing high intensity exercise for more than 90 min.
Cherish quality time with family and friends. When we talk about health and fitness, we often refer to the physical appearance of our bodies, but it’s important to remember that overall wellness is also about emotional health. Creating lasting memories with the ones we love will enrich our lives way more than a set of rock hard abs. In twenty years, I would rather look back at a picture of myself with my daughters, ice cream dripping off of our faces, than a picture of me alone, hoping I look skinny in the photo. I have the rest of my life to worry about being skinny. My girls will grow up, move away and live on their own (fingers crossed).
By all means, enjoy your summer with family and friends, but remember play often to keep your body active, make your workouts count when you do get to the gym and indulge in moderation so that all your hard work doesn’t go to waste and land on your waist.
Linda McDonald
ACE/AFAA Personal Trainer
Woman’s Workout Company
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| Do a True "Warm Up" |
Today we’ll continue our look at common gym mistakes. Let’s talk about…
Warming up Dynamically
Most people would agree that walking into the health club and engaging in vigorous exercise without a warm up period is not a good idea. While warming up is an accepted practice, the how and the why are often lost on the average fitness enthusiast. Let’s start with the why. All of our time is limited to varying degrees. Why waste it on a mini workout before our workout even begins? Why not just walk into the club, grab that kettlebell and start swinging it like our lives depended on it?
Getting our body ready to move safely through the planes of motion we plan to use will both reduce post exercise soreness, as well as the potential for injury. Who wants to be sore and who wants to get hurt? Nobody! Other benefits of a proper warn up include.
• Increased movement of blood through your tissues, making the muscles more pliable.
• Increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles
• Prepares your muscles for stretching
• Prepares your heart for an increase in activity, preventing a rapid increase in blood pressure
• Prepares you mentally for the upcoming exercise
• Improved coordination and reaction times
Okay so warming up is pretty cool. But how do we do it properly? Is it walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes? I suppose that’s a start if you’re preparing your heart and muscles to walk on the treadmill. Is it ten minutes of static stretching? Well our muscles aren’t primed yet so are they even ready to be stretched? Is that even safe? No they’re not. And no it’s not. The answer is to warm up dynamically. We want a warm up that gradually increases our core body temperature while taking our body through movement patterns that mimic the exercises to come as well as increase our flexibility. Replace static stretching with dynamic movements that lightly stretch you as you move.
You’re not only warming up your muscles, but also your mind. The warm up is your transition from the stress of day to day life to the release of exercise. Use your warm up as a way to get progressively more focused on the work to come. I’ve included a sample video of a great dynamic warm up from fitness guru Todd Durkin. It accomplishes all the goals above. Feel free to grab a Coach in the gym and ask how to best prime that engine.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| Train Movements not Muscles |
 Today we’ll continue our look at common
gym mistakes. Let’s talk about…
Train Movements not Muscles
Not incorporating some form of functional training into your workouts is often a primary reason there is a disconnect between your gym results and day to day life. While some people truly treat fitness as a hobby, most people are grunting and sweating to enhance their lives outside of the gym. This varies wildly from the competitive athlete, to the grandmother that merely wants to be more mobile to play with her grand kids. There are a lot of people out there that are absolute beasts in the gym but then get winded playing with their kids for ten minutes. What’s the point of a nice lean physique if you can’t do anything with it?
Functional training is a huge buzzword in the fitness world right now. Because of that, everyone seems to have their own version of exactly what it means. Simply put, Functional training is creating or modifying exercise protocols to enhance the activities of your day to day life. The old axiom at most gyms required you to push or pull generally on only one plain of motion. Would this make you stronger? Sure. Particularly at those specific exercises. Though that style of training has its merits, it doesn’t accurately mimic how your body moves in real life. Machines that limit your range of motion and don’t allow your body to experience resistance in all three planes of motion will have less of an effect on true strength. Isolating your biceps during a curl trains individual muscles. Working your biceps, lats, and core during a pull up trains movement. There is a reason kettlebells and the TRX suspension system are so huge right now. They afford you a freedom of movement that until recently, was lost in most gyms.
Who wants to go to the gym, work hard and actually perform their day to day activity or sport more efficiently? Who wants to create movement patterns that will make them less prone to injury? Who wants to make all the time invested in the gym worth it? Functional Training is the key. Take your results beyond the mirror and the scale.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| Not doing Resistance Training |
 Today we are continuing our look at common mistakes to avoid in the gym. Today we will focus on resistance training. More specifically….
Not doing Resistance Training
What is resistance training? Simply put, resistance training is a form of strength training in which each effort is performed against a specific opposing force generated by resistance. This resistance can be in the form of a weight like a kettlebell, dumbbell, etc. or simply be overcoming your own body weight. Too often I see women logging countless hours on the treadmill while looking at the rows of dumbbells and kettlebells with confusion, even fear. There seems to be a prevailing sentiment in our female culture that you can treadmill your way to your ideal body. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Why is resistance training important? First and foremost it will enhance your day to day life by making you stronger and more durable. You will be less susceptible to injury as your bone density increases and your connective tissues get stronger. Not enough? How about the million dollar answer; you will lose body fat! Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. I know what you’re thinking. That’s only 1.5 pounds of weight loss. Yet when you factor in the aesthetic implications of that change you’ll see that while the scale may not change much, your clothes will start to feel a little looser. It’s true that muscle weighs more than fat. Yet it is also much more compact and therefore takes up much less space. Refer to the picture included with this blog and you can imagine the difference altering your fat to muscle ratio can make to your appearance. You will also spike your resting metabolism the more lean muscle you have and will in turn burn more calories all day long. How much more? Generally you burn 35 to 50 more calories each day for every pound of muscle you gain. That can add up.
But if you play with the big girl weights you’ll get bulky and look like a man right? WRONG! Female bodybuilders that strength train all day and are filled to the brim with body chemistry altering steroids have made the average woman terrified of lifting more than a few pounds. Compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle growth. Which is why, unless you take something to alter that balance you will gain lean toned muscle but not bulk up.
The benefits of resistance training for women cannot be ignored. Want to lessen your risk of osteoporosis? Check. Want to build lean tone muscle while lowering your body fat? Check. Want to get stronger and make daily activity easier? Check. Want to step off the treadmill and supercharge your fitness? Check Check Check. Pick up the big girl weights and create a whole new you.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| Top 5 Gym Mistakes |
Have you been in the gym for countless months without making much progress? Why am I not losing weight? Why am I not getting stronger, faster, etc.? If you find yourself pondering these questions maybe you’re making some very common gym mistakes. Over the next 5 weeks we will posting our top 5 mistakes made in the gym. They are in no particular order. Today’s mistake is…
Only working what you’re good at
Every gym goer from the novice to the advanced has certain exercises that they like. More often than not they tend to be very good at these movements. And too often these exercises end up being the foundation of all their workouts. The more challenging movements are done less or not at all. Because of this lack of attention these movements generally don’t improve. This lack of improvement is often seen in their overall fitness as well do to a lack of challenging stimuli for their body.
At most female health clubs it’s not uncommon to see a line at the leg press and adductor and abductor machines only to see tumble weeds blowing by the deserted squat, deadlift, and pull up stations. You’ll see a lot of women doing crunches until their faces are red when there is an unused slam ball and Kettlebell rack right next to them. Working your body with new movements that challenge you is what exercise is designed for. Your body adapts to stimuli that go beyond what it is used to. Essentially it will adjust to the new norm. When we workout this week lets step out of our comfort zone and add in two movements that really challenge us. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| A letter to everyone who has tried fitness and failed, |
Stop whining, get over it, we all fail at one time or another. There has never been a woman in fitness, no matter how good a shape she might be in today, who hasn’t stumbled over a bag of chips, a bowl of ice cream or a cocktail or two.
The difference between someone who is successful at fitness and their personal quest for health as compared to the average middle-aged, overweight, prematurely matronly woman (yes, I am speaking to that national statistic we all want to avoid) is that temporary failure is a motivator to succeed even more tomorrow rather than an excuse to give up and walk away now and forever.
Most importantly, stop using temporary failure as your excuse to give up on yourself completely. Fitness is not a destination, it is a journey, and like any journey there are bad parts of the trip surrounded by all the good days.
The self-generated fiction women use to convince themselves that something about them is different, is worse than the nonsense you find on television. One woman I recently ran into at a restaurant told me that she was a member 10 years ago but quit because she became busy and gained a few pounds back and told me that she felt like a failure. That was 10 years ago and she still isn’t back to working out!
Is there anything in your life that is a guaranteed 100% success with no bumps or bad days? Is your career without bumps? Is your marriage without a few stressful days? And we all know that raising kids is simple and easy and there are never any bad days there, right?
At WWC, we seek a healthier lifestyle for all women and not a purist version that is compromised with a donut on Saturday. We all stumble, we all fail but the ones that win, and enjoy a better body and radiant health, are the ones that work everyday to get it right but who also realize that sometimes the best you are that day is not perfect, just human. In fact, there are days where I might do a little extra workout just so I can have that glass of wine and pizza knowing that I am still on the right track to a healthier life.
Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Are you using a past failure in fitness to fail for life or are you fighting the good fight everyday and realizing that most days you win but some days just aren’t perfect? If you are the woman who realizes that the most important goal is to live everyday just a little bit better, then you have a home and we can’t wait for you to come and join us.
Susan Taylor
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| Don't look for pain, look for results. |
This week I asked a client for feedback after a particularly rigorous training session. She was both surprised and a little disappointed that she didn’t "wake up sore”. I was puzzled by her desire to wake up in pain. When pressed to explain, she said that she doesn’t feel like she worked hard without some discomfort the next day. She fondly reminisced about the early stages of her training with me when she "could barely walk for two days.” This is a trend with both inexperienced trainers as well as uneducated fitness enthusiasts. Having your muscles in agony and being on the verge of nausea every time you workout is not what constitutes an efficient method of training.
While working through a certain level of discomfort during exercise can be both necessary and enlightening, do not seek discomfort as a criteria to judge your workout. If you’re unable to function for days at a time after a workout then odds are you’re doing more harm than good. Exercise should enhance your life. In the beginning as your body adapts to the new stress you’re putting on it, you can certainly expect some aches and pains. But after that, look to your goals and results as a means to gauge success. Will there be exceptions to this? Absolutely. Any time you radically alter your routine you can expect some soreness as your body adapts. As you strengthen your muscles and connective tissue this will occur less and less.
Anyone can put a bunch of random exercises together and work you until you puke. Some view throwing up during a workout as a proverbial badge of honor. Yet in fact that is your body’s way of telling you something is very wrong. Don’t confuse giving your all with giving too much. Don’t look for pain, look for results.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| New Year Tips Continued |
Now for the final piece to our New Year fitness puzzle. Of all the strategies we have discussed, this is the most crucial to long term success. Our number 5 tip for success in 2012 in…
5: Be consistent.
Everyone has goals in life. But consistency is a learned trait. The simple fact that we are what we repeatedly do, can be an enlightening or painful realization. Though regardless of age or fitness level, it is never too late to take advantage of our body’s amazing capacity to change. It merely takes a plan, and the patience to see it through.
Like anything worthwhile there are no short cuts in fitness. There are no magic pills or infomercials that are going to radically alter your life in "as little as ten minutes a day” Once you are in a routine supported by a good diet it’s as simple as remembering this formula. Nutrition+Technique+Effort+Consistency=Success. It’s fool proof.
A life of fitness is baby steps. Too many times people become frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of results when in fact they are simply suffering from a lack of time in. Give your body time to adapt. Give a life time of habits time to change. You’re in it to win it and you’re in it for the long haul.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| New Year Tips Continued |
Recently we have discussed three ways to stay true to your fitness goals in 2012. We addressed goal oriented fitness, eating for success, and stepping outside your comfort zone. Today we will discuss…
4: Make fitness fun.
While having a scientific, goal oriented routine is crucial for success, adding an element of fun to your workouts will ensure that working out never feels like a chore. I have been training in martial arts since I was a teenager. Prior to that, I was always involved in sports. That not only provided me a platform for a life of fitness, it also made working out something that I looked forward to. Are the rigors of athletics always fun? Quite the opposite at times. However it framed even my most challenging workouts around an activity that I loved.
Do you have to play a sport to enjoy working out? Certainly not. Even if it’s just once a week, throwing in an activity you enjoy will help offset the monotony or intensity of your other workload. For some, that activity might be a Zumba class. For others a long run outside. I know at The Woman’s Workout Company the boxing program fills that void for many. You get the intense warm up followed by the punching which can feel almost like a reward.
Find an activity you enjoy. So many people come to the gym with a grand plan only to see their hopes dashed by a lack of knowledge. But just as many people quit due to lack of interest. Look forward to training by making it fun.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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| New Year Tips Continued |
The last two weeks we have discussed strategies to ensure success with our fitness goals in 2012. We went over having clear quantifiable goals as well as fueling your body for success. Today’s blog will focus on a concept that transcends any particular exercise program you choose to take on. Today we will discuss…
3: Step outside your comfort Zone.
Having a goal oriented exercise plan based on the latest science is an important part of your exercise puzzle. But never underestimate how much your mind factors in when it comes to results. How many people have we seen at the gym that appear to "know what they’re doing” yet get no results? They come in, they have a plan, they have good form and yet they are puzzled that they have little to show for their efforts. Stepping into the gym for the first time is admirable. It means you recognize the need to change or improve. And you have the courage to take that initial difficult step. But part of learning how to be fit through exercise is learning to find your limits and progressively push them farther away.
Once we learn to identify our comfort zone, we then have to be comfortable stepping outside of it. There is at times a certain degree of discomfort when it comes to working hard. Maybe you work until lactic acid has built up and you feel that burn. Maybe you had intended to get 10 reps though you stopped at 8 because it started feeling difficult. In order to cause real change you need to take your body to places it hasn’t been. Find things that challenge you in the gym and embrace them. Don’t ignore them. When I started coaching at The Woman’s Workout Company pull-ups were kind of a universally ignored exercise. Despite the fact that pull-ups are one of the truest testaments to upper body strength, many of the women in the gym dismissed them as too hard. They had to learn to step out of their comfort zones and push through the mental and physical hurdles the movement presents. Fast forward 14 months and it’s not uncommon to see a line at the pull-up bar. This week in the gym let’s find an exercise that challenges us, work to the point where a little doubt creeps in and then push a little harder. That is the key to result oriented fitness.
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| More Tips for the New Year |
Last week we blogged about setting measurable, attainable goals. Adhering to this principle will certainly yield results. However a definitive plan in the gym needs to be supported by a healthy lifestyle at home. So our number 2 way to ensure results in 2012 is…
2: Eat for Success
"You can’t out train a bad diet” My clients hear these words from me every single day. Too often the gym is being used to justify poor eating habits. Your nutrition is the tip of the spear ladies. The gym is support. Setting measurable attainable goals applies to your nutrition as well. Attainable, being the operative word. Trying the latest fad diet which leaves you feeling tired and hungry is a recipe for failure. Instead, gradual lasting changes should be made. We’re in it for the long haul ladies. We don’t want to go on a crash diet for a month only to create the illusion of success. We want to gradually create a new culture for ourselves. One that we want to sustain for the rest of our lives.
For me, eating is one of the most enjoyable aspects of life. No diet should ever make you feel otherwise. Food, like the gym should enhance your life, not feel like a chore. While we want to establish and stick to good eating habits, we don’t want to be so regimented that a slip up overwhelms us with guilt. Life is fluid. Start slowly. First identify certain red flag aspects of your diet. Are you eating a lot of fast or processed foods? Americans spend nearly half their food dollars on food prepared away from home, but that only accounts for about 21% of the meals they eat. So not only can you trim the waist line by preparing your own healthy alternatives you can also save money by eliminating this part of your diet. Do you find yourself snacking a lot between meals? Make sure that you’re not eating the processed foods that generally dominate the snack aisle. Instead shoot for some quick or pre prepared snacks to sustain you between meals. Options include but are not limited to the list below.
Grab-and-go snacks
• fruit - grapes, blueberries, applies, bananas
• mixed nuts
• snack/protein bars
• whole grain crackers
Snacks that require a bit of preparation
• vegetables with hummus
• yogurt with fruit and granola
• 1/2 cup cereal with milk
• peanut butter and carrots or celery
• smoothie
• roasted garbanzo beans
We want our eating to fuel our workouts and enhance our lives in the short as well as long term. Let’s make one change today that we can build on throughout the year and start creating a new culture of healthy eating. Eat for success ladies.
Woman’s Workout Company Trainer
Matthew Waddell
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